NASA SpaceApps 2020: Orbital Scarp Metal - The Game V2.0
Here at Team Monke (TM) we strive to provide a learning experience that is accessible by all users, whether it be an adult or a child. Our group consists of 6 students from Hong Kong who all share a passion for space exploration and sustaining the Earth.
In our project, we aim to educate all age groups about the impacts of space debris and scrap metals through an interactive medium of a video game.
serve any Orbital debris are man-made objects which orbit the Earth and no longer useful purpose. Orbital debris is mainly composed of detached parts from launch vehicles carrying useful payloads like satellites and rovers heading into space. During propulsion, jet engines and used fuel containers detach from spacecrafts to reduce weight.
Most space debris falls back to Earth and is either burnt up and disintegrated in the Earth's atmosphere, or recovered and taken for future use. However, Some space debris doesn't fall back down on earth and instead enters an orbit around the Earth. This is when it becomes orbital debris.
The presence of orbital debris poses a threat to both current satellites and space missions and future space exploration. These particles are travelling at speeds up to 30,000 kilometers per hour; sufficient to damage or destroy these space equipment. Not only will this make space exploration more difficult, but also increase the amount of orbital debris that is created every day, since equipment destroyed by orbital debris also becomes debris.
As of January 2020, 8,000 metric tons of space debris is estimated to orbit the earth. more than 23,000 objects are larger than 10cm and the estimated number of space debris between the size of 1-10cm is 500,000. Currently, the chance of a large piece of orbital debris damaging or destroying a functional spacecraft is still rather low. However, as mankind makes more trips to outer space, we may find that this issue will pose an ever-increasing risk as time goes by. Our satellite infrastructure is crucial for communications and positioning, so any damage to these satellites could have severe consequences for our economy and society.
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Our game suggests a future where orbital scrap metal could perhaps be captured and reused for other purposes. As of now, this concept is inefficient and costly, but as resources on Earth become more scarce, new technologies could allow us to salvage orbital scrap metal in a cost-effective manner.
This game utilizes orbital debris data and statistics supplied by Nasa SpaceBirds API and Space-Track.org API to determine how difficult the game should be. The more orbital debris in the sky, the more frequent scraps will spawn.
Multiple methods of collecting or de-orbiting orbital scrap metals have been suggested based on recent scientific developments. Methods such as the use of nets and mechanical arms are currently being researched, and may well be implemented some time in the near future. Therefore, our game raises awareness for younger generations to make these ideas more widely known, and perhaps inspire young minds to think about new solutions to this issue.